Western Painting (3)
Just after ten in the morning, Seung-hyun set off for Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, carrying a large bag packed with the newly finished art fabric samples.
Through the taxi window, the Gangnam cityscape flashed by in a blur, but his mind was still full of the fabric he had spent all night preparing until dawn.
It’s definitely marketable... but will Yu Se-rin see that? And if she turns it down, what kind of pattern should I come up with next?
After getting out of the car, Seung-hyun looked up at the Roche Bobois building, a structure of towering concrete walls and glass.
The high-end furniture visible through the wide first-floor windows, along with the refined lighting, made it feel less like a simple showroom and more like a kind of luxury interior gallery.
When he opened the glass door and stepped inside, the distinctive scent of the showroom, along with modern sofas and tables arranged throughout the space, caught his attention at once.
He had already contacted one of the staff in advance, so Yu Se-rin soon appeared, moving briskly toward him.
“You’re finally here!”
Yu Se-rin, elegant as ever, smiled more warmly than usual today.
Looking at the faint hollowness beneath her eyes, Seung-hyun wondered if she had been under a great deal of stress lately.
“The fabric you prepared...?”
“Yes. I brought the samples.”
Seung-hyun lifted the bag in his hand slightly and nodded.
He was obviously sleep-deprived, but his expression was also light, almost like a student who had finally finished a huge assignment.
“Then shall we go to the meeting room? We’re in the middle of rearranging the furniture here, so it’s a bit chaotic.”
Just as he was about to follow her suggestion, someone across the showroom glanced over and approached them.
A man in his late thirties, with a tablet in his left hand and an A4 stack of documents in his right.
He had neatly slicked-back dark brown hair and looked a little oily, but there was no doubt he was handsome.
The moment Yu Se-rin saw him, she frowned slightly.
“And he is...?”
“He’s Kang Mo-hyun, the new MD and Creative Director who came down from headquarters this time.”
When Seung-hyun asked quietly, Yu Se-rin let out a soft sigh, as if trying to push the tension from her face.
Kang Mo-hyun came closer and quickly scanned Seung-hyun with his eyes.
It was clear from his expression that he already knew who Seung-hyun was, having apparently heard the rough outlines of the story from Yu Se-rin.
“Good to meet you. I’m Kang Mo-hyun, newly assigned to Roche Bobois Korea. ...Are you the CEO of Haesol Textile?”
“Yes. Jung Seung-hyun. A pleasure to meet you.”
As Seung-hyun gave a light nod, Kang Mo-hyun put on a formal smile, though he couldn’t quite hide the coldness beneath it.
“Ah, a few days ago, MD Yu Se-rin mentioned that there was a company in Korea making a rather unusual art fabric... I suppose that was you.”
“Yes. I still have a long way to go, but I’m doing my best.”
The words were modest, but Seung-hyun himself was not especially modest.
Perhaps that attitude annoyed Kang Mo-hyun, because he shrugged mockingly and then glanced toward Yu Se-rin.
“I can handle the display changes on my own, so I’ll stay here. Yu Se-rin, you can go on to the meeting room and talk comfortably there.”
He was acting all magnanimous, so Yu Se-rin had no reason to refuse.
“Thank you. Then, CEO Jung, this way...”
Yu Se-rin led Seung-hyun to the meeting room.
The two of them sat across from each other in the reception area set up in one corner of the Roche Bobois office, and got straight to the point.
“Please show me the samples!”
Seung-hyun found her suddenly more urgent than usual, but he opened the bag he had brought and took out the art fabrics one by one.
“These are samples produced with a different pattern for each yard. Overall, I was aiming for a Gobelins tapestry feel...”
As Seung-hyun spread the fabric out over the table and explained,
“Oh my-”
she came close enough to seem as if she might devour the fabric, running both hands over it before he even finished speaking.
Then, fully immersed in the pattern and the texture, she murmured with a look of hungry delight.
“This is it. This is exactly what I wanted.”
“...Ah, yes.”
He had already guessed from the product appraisal that she would like it, but even so, her reaction exceeded his expectations, and Seung-hyun was briefly flustered.
After he felt that she had been sufficiently moved, he continued his explanation.
“I kept the Gobelins tapestry feel, but expressed the thickness of the yarn and the faded tones through a combination of digital printing and embroidery. Then I added Haesol Textile’s own micro-weaving technique...”
When he lifted the layers of fabric that had been stacked like thick paper, a luxurious texture emerged, its pattern shifting subtly with the light.
It carried the soft atmosphere of the past, enough to call to mind the eighteenth-century Gobelins tapestries he had seen firsthand in Paris, yet at the same time it felt newly interpreted with a modern mood.
Yu Se-rin’s eyes sparkled as she brushed the fabric’s surface with her palm.
“Wow... This is so much prettier than I imagined. When you say European style, it doesn’t just go heavy and old-fashioned. It’s vintage, but elegant. It wouldn’t look strange at all on luxury furniture.”
A bright smile came over her face, as though hope had returned after a long absence.
Seung-hyun nodded, relieved.
“I think so too. In Korea, this kind of furniture fabric style might still feel unfamiliar, but for Roche Bobois, I think there are definitely enough customers whose tastes will match it.”
“Yes! It’ll especially fit the refined atmosphere of our showroom. If it can be used for sofa covers, armchair covers, and curtains too... if each application is possible, then we’d need separate cutting and finishing processes, right?”
“Yes. We’ll cooperate as closely as possible on our side too.”
In that short exchange, it was clear how perfectly their desired directions aligned.
In particular, the idea for a high-end collection that Yu Se-rin proposed sounded like it was unblocking a clogged artery.
“CEO Jung, our Roche Bobois showroom is preparing for a renovation soon. Now that we have a new MD, we’re planning to completely rearrange the furniture layout and hold a showcase for new products. ...How about releasing a sofa line using this art fabric for that?”
“Yes, of course that would be good. Then I’ll work out the fabric supply schedule and quantities in more detail. We’re remodeling the second factory right now, and once a production line opens up, we should be able to handle large-scale production. We’ll need to match the exact width of the fabric, the processing method, and the number of sample sofas.”
The two of them opened a laptop right away and started checking files, quickly coordinating the supply schedule and unit prices.
For Yu Se-rin, who had been backed into a corner, it was essential to push the contract forward and produce results as quickly as possible. Seung-hyun, too, felt he had to put everything on the line for this project.
*
While Seung-hyun and Yu Se-rin were still in the middle of their meeting, a black luxury van pulled up in front of Roche Bobois.
Several middle-aged women got out of the car, each one flaunting expensive designer bags and accessories as they headed into the showroom.
“Oh my, this must be the place.”
“It’s nicer than I expected.”
The madams swept inside with boisterous voices, leaving a trail of extravagant perfume as they began to look around the store.
Just then, Kang Mo-hyun, who had been waiting to greet customers, approached them with an elegant smile.
“Welcome.”
His voice was gentle, yet full of confidence.
His charisma, so effortless even with strangers, seemed to land especially well with the middle-aged women, and they all smiled brightly at the sight of his face.
“So this is the place you changed? It definitely has more edge than before.”
“It’s been a while since I saw you, and you’ve gotten even more handsome. Why haven’t you been out in the field lately?”
“Haha, I injured my back, so I haven’t been able to go out much these days.”
Kang Mo-hyun skillfully led the women deeper into the showroom.
“Madam, you’re curious why I moved here from Maison Fortier, the brand I used to work for, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That place was also a famous French high-end furniture brand. They were meticulous about quality control for every product, and always drew attention with designs that stayed at the forefront of fashion. Maison Fortier stood for a somewhat more modern and rational kind of luxury.”
He smiled faintly and went on.
“But Roche Bobois is different. Every single piece gives you the feeling that it was made with care, almost as if an artist had carved it by hand. You might say the craftsmanship is much more deeply embedded here. Instead of rushing to introduce new styles, the philosophy of Roche Bobois is to pursue a level of completion that can still be called classic fifty or even a hundred years from now.
Luxury bags are often compared in the same way: rather than design or convenience, they emphasize the unparalleled elegance only that brand can create. Our Roche Bobois is the kind of brand where elegance and artistry stand out in exactly that way.”
“Ohhh—”
After sweeping his gaze across the delighted madams, he began guiding them through the luxury furniture displayed throughout the showroom.
Expensive sofas infused with the touch of European artisans, armchairs with striking velvet and brass details, rugs and tables that looked like works of art.
One unusual thing was that his hand, while introducing each piece, would lightly brush past the middle-aged women’s arms or shoulders.
Even so, none of them showed the slightest sign of discomfort.
Stopping before a flamboyant yet elegant sofa in a deep red tone, Kang Mo-hyun said, “This piece is a limited edition, so it isn’t easy to get. If you reserve it now, you can always be first in line, but if someone else pays before you do... then I’m afraid the opportunity is gone.”
The moment he finished speaking, as if they had been waiting for it,
“Oh my, what do I do? I’m paying first!”
“Hey, you recommended this to me too!”
Wealthy madams rushed forward in competition with one another.
At that, Kang Mo-hyun laughed with practiced ease.
“Haha, this time Ms. Yoo Ji-ae was a little faster. Thank you. You made an excellent choice. It’ll be hard to find this kind of feeling anywhere else.”
Flattered by his praise, she straightened her shoulders and basked in his attention.
It was at that moment that Seung-hyun and Yu Se-rin, just coming out of their meeting, witnessed the whole scene.
“Wow, that guy’s really good at sales.”
Seung-hyun was sincerely impressed by Kang Mo-hyun’s sales skills, but Yu Se-rin forced herself to calm the boiling irritation in her chest.
It was, after all, a textbook trick: making customers compete in order to drive sales. But just because it was obvious didn’t mean anyone could do it, and she couldn’t deny that much.
In the end, seeing that scene, Yu Se-rin gave instructions to the staff.
“Get a few extra temporary POS terminals ready. If things get tangled up, payment will take longer too.”
That was her job as the store’s manager: to do everything she could to help as sales increased.
After that, while Madam Yoo Ji-ae, who had bought the item, boasted about her score, the staff busied themselves checking the product order forms.
With an unmistakably pleased look on his face, Kang Mo-hyun deliberately came over toward Yu Se-rin and chuckled.
“I hadn’t thought of that myself, so thank you for helping. As expected, experience and seniority can’t be ignored.”
At first glance it sounded complimentary, but if you looked beneath the surface, it was really just a jab: so much experience and seniority, and yet you still can’t do anything?
“Well, congratulations. Your sales will go up a lot thanks to this.”
“Thank you. I’m sure MD Yu has some good news too. I don’t have much experience and don’t know much about Haesol Textile, but it must be a good company, so I’m sure you’ll bring in good products.”
That too was a jab, implying that since he didn’t know much because his experience was so limited, why was she bringing in an unknown brand from nowhere?
By then, Seung-hyun, who had been listening quietly from the side, was starting to get angry for no good reason.
He could tell at a glance that the two of them had bad blood between them, but it was irritating to get dragged into it, along with Haesol Textile, for no reason at all.
What, should I just pull out the samples here? Spread them all out on the floor?
Just as he was worrying about it, a message buzzed in.
LVMH Official
https://www.instagram.com/p/XXXXXXXXX/
The message was short, with an Instagram link attached.
With a bewildered expression, he tapped the link.
Then the latest Instagram post from world-famous top model Michelle Lacroix appeared.
“This is...”
To his surprise, there was an image of her hugging and rolling around with GyeolBit bedding.
Seung-hyun was startled, and Yu Se-rin glanced over from beside him, only to be equally shocked.
“Michelle Lacroix? But this... isn’t that the pattern Haesol Textile made? When did they get the bedding...?”
Thinking of Antoine Arnault at Loro Piana, Seung-hyun let out a bitter smile and handed his smartphone to Kang Mo-hyun.
“Everyone’s inexperienced once. If you don’t know, that’s one thing.”
Kang Mo-hyun’s face stiffened in an instant after seeing the post.